Waiting outside the door for what felt like twenty minutes, Cas shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. While he felt like it was unlikely that his father would send the royal security to bring him home, there was still a chance that he’d been followed. He wanted to get inside quickly, so he wouldn’t be standing in plain sight if the guards showed up at the Kinders’ house. It would be far easier to tell them that he wasn’t returning until midnight from the foyer, where they couldn’t drag him back against his will.

Fortunately, even though time seemed to pass much slower than it actually was, he didn’t have to wait long before a maid opened the door from the inside and stared at him in surprise. “Your highness, I wasn’t aware you would be stopping by today,” she said bemusedly, leaning forward in a polite bow.

[color=#b97703]“I didn’t call ahead,”[/color] he said vaguely, stepping past her to escape from the open perron. As soon as he passed through the doorway, he relaxed a little and glanced down the hallway that led toward Miles’ room. His friend was already approaching and raised his hand in a casual wave, though he seemed just as surprised by his unannounced appearance as the maid had been.

“Hey, Cas,” the other high born greeted him, stopping a couple meters away and raising a brow. “What are you doing here?”

[color=#b97703]“I had to get out of the house for a while,”[/color] Cas shrugged.

At that, Miles cracked an amused smirk, “Geez. You really have something against being in the palace, don’t you?”

[color=#b97703]“You could say that,”[/color] Cas agreed without elaborating. Truthfully, it was his father that he had issues with, but he didn’t feel like sharing that with Miles. He’d come to visit because he needed a distraction from the ongoing fight with the king, so talking about it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Walking over to head down the corridor to his friend’s room, he noticed belatedly that something seemed off about the other high born. He studied him with a subtle glance. On the surface, Miles was acting like his usual, carefree self, but there was something melancholic about him today. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. [color=#b97703]“Are you doing okay?”[/color] he asked curiously. It hadn’t been more than twelve hours since they’d last seen each other, so he couldn’t help but wonder what could have happened during that span of time that would make his friend look so crestfallen. Or, well, as crestfallen as the excitable man could be.

At his question, Miles rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine… I sort of told Iris that I was into her, and she rejected me.” He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s cool though. Now I know where she stands, so I can move on.”

[color=#b97703]“Oh,”[/color] Cas blinked. [color=#b97703]“I’m… sorry to hear that.”[/color] A boldfaced lie. He was ecstatic that the flirting between Miles and Iris was over. Watching his friend try to hit on her had been endlessly frustrating. Still, he had to keep up appearances, so he rested a hand on his shoulder. [color=#b97703]“Once we get the mess with her sorted out, I’ll take you out to the club, and we’ll find someone else for you. How does that sound?”[/color]

“Can’t wait,” Miles grinned.

They chatted more lightheartedly the rest of the way to the bedroom. When they got there, Miles opened the door and stepped inside. “Guess who came to see us?” he said to Iris with a flourish of his hand toward Cas. “We’re getting so many royal visits lately that I’m starting to feel special.”

Cas rolled his eyes as he followed his friend into the room. [color=#b97703]“You didn’t need me around to feel that way. I’m pretty sure you’ve always thought you’re better than everyone else.”[/color] As his gaze landed on Iris, his lips curved upward in an involuntary smile, and he greeted her warmly, [color=#b97703]“Hey, how are you doing today?”[/color]